An interesting story…
Yesterday I had the pleasure of immersing myself in another charity gig with a number of different musicians at Wakefield Trinity, for the Ben Manning foundation. However, it was there that I heard a very disturbing story from the parents of a young, talented singer who had been taken advantage of by the very person who should have been looking after their interests properly. This has made me so angry I want to shout out from the rooftops the name of the person involved to shame them, but I won’t do that for professional and legal reasons. What I can do though is tell you the tale, so that you hopefully will never suffer the same situation…….
A young singer goes to a vocal tutor/artist manager and gets lessons etc. She is then sent to London to work with a chart producer: brilliant you might think. Until, that is, they are expected to pay £8000 for 5 songs, which they later find that they have no right to use. When they ask their tutor for the contract, they inform them that they have lost it and are left £8,000 down and no further forward than they were before!
360 fear people like this, as they give everyone in the industry a bad name. You can work with anyone you want to if you’re willing to pay their fees, it doesn’t mean they like you and any company trying to get kudos for saying they ‘work with’ Mr X or Miss Y means nothing if they expect their clients to pay full rate for their services. There is nothing wrong with hiring known professionals for projects – we have done this numerous times – but you have to take it for what it is, negotiate terms and understand that it is purely a business transaction. Equally, if you actually ‘work with’ known producers there is often a reduced or even zero cost to it, because they get paid through producer credits/publishing on the track etc. just as Max has recorded in London recently after being invited down by the producer.
So……be warned, be headstrong, be smart and SHOP AROUND! With record companies wanting release- ready material (without complicated contracts surrounding them) make sure that the studio, the producer, the musicians you use and everything else is fully cleared or on a basis that’s acceptable to you and ensure that you have; and fully understand your rights in relation to the recordings!
360 will never mislead clients into entering into agreements or transactions that they don’t understand. We will always explain what agreements mean and recommend that you seek legal advice before entering into any contract. As a company built to help musicians we truly believe that your success is our success.
